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10 Ways to Make Spring Cleaning Fun

Monday, March 4, 2019

By

10 Ways to Make Spring Cleaning Fun

Guest Blogger: Amanda Moore

Some people love to clean — they find it relaxing and love the feeling that comes with throwing things away. But for the rest of us, spring cleaning can feel like a necessary evil. If you fall into the latter camp, here are 10 ways to make spring cleaning a lot more fun.

1. Get inspired by aspirational “cleaning gurus.”

Spring cleaning can often seem like a hurdle that must be overcome, but try to look at cleaning and organizing as an aspirational activity. Follow some organization and cleaning gurus on social media (This Girl Can Organise shares her organization hacks on Instagram daily) or relax with a home cleaning show like Marie Kondo’s Netflix series “Tidying Up With Marie Kondo.” If you surround yourself with spring cleaning #inspo, you might find that you’ll want to start cleaning.

2. Reward yourself.

Set up a structured reward system for spring cleaning. For example, if you clean for two hours, you get to take a cookie and coffee break. Or if the whole family finishes the cleaning by 6 p.m. you all go out for a big celebratory meal at everyone favorite restaurant. Also, try breaking things up into smaller tasks with a mini reward for each one (i.e. cleaning the bathroom gets you a 15 minute social media break, vacuuming the floors gets you a free ice cream).

3. Try to sell your used items.

Money is a pretty excellent motivator when it comes to spring cleaning. Try taking your clothing to a nearby consignment or used clothing store. If there are none in your area, you can send your clothes to ThredUp, which is an online consignment shop. You can also try selling your used clothing on Poshmark which allows you to control and set your own prices. You can also get cash for books, electronics, and video games on Amazon using their trade-in program.

4. Think of your charitable donation as a motivating end goal.

Those pots and pans, that blender you never used, those shirts your kids grew out of — do your charitable civic duty and donate all your used items. Goodwill and Salvation Army have many locations and convenient drop-off procedures for all sorts of goods, but consider donating to a homeless shelter (especially for used clothing) if you want your old clothes to go directly to someone who needs it most. Donating your gently used household items is a great way to pay it forward.

5. Involve your family.

It might seem easier to do all your spring cleaning when the kids are at school or daycare — in fact, there are many locations in your area that provide daycare programs and before or after-school care — but involving the family can make it more fun. Turn the cleaning day into an event! Let your kids choose their own task and set their own reward (a decluttered playroom by the end of the day gets an extra 30 minutes of video game play). Also, get the kids excited about charity and let them choose the special items that only they get to donate, let them know that it’s not about throwing something away but about carefully selecting extra special toys to give to a kid in need.

6. Catch up on your favorite TV shows.

Trick yourself into thinking you’re Netflix and chilling by streaming something on TV while you clean. Catch up on “The Good Place,” revisit “The West Wing,” or if you feel guilty about bringing reality shows, now is the time to let an entire season of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” stream in the background while you dust the living room.

7. Make a dream home Pinterest board.

If you need more motivation than simply having a clean house, create a dream home Pinterest Board. You’ll never get to paint the walls, re-decorate, or rearrange your furniture if you don’t do a massive cleaning first. Think of your Pinterest Board as your end-goal motivation: “If I do this Spring Cleaning, I’ll finally get to put the wallpaper in the kitchen like I’ve always wanted.”

8. Create a “cleaning game.”

Whether you’re cleaning alone, with your family, or sending live text updates to a friend who is doing the same — a cleaning game makes the whole process more fun. Challenge your kids to a game of “Who can clean the yard the fastest.” Text your friend with the challenge: “First one to clear out their closet buys the other one coffee.” Challenge your spouse to a game of bathroom versus kitchen, and whoever finishes their job last makes dinner for a week.

9. Only allow yourself to go new-clothes shopping after the yearly clean.

Tell yourself that you’ll only get to buy new clothes if you donate or sell X bags of used clothing. This way you have a system in place and you know that you only get to go shopping once you’ve cleaned out your closet. Think of it as back-to-school shopping, but in the spring, and only after the chores are done.

10. Throw a party.

Create anticipation by throwing a party at the end of the cleaning session. Set a date for a birthday, dinner party, or family gathering and always keep that fun event in mind when you and the family are wading through the trenches of spring cleaning.

By submitting this information, you provide express written consent to Jeff Cook Real Estate and our affiliates (the “Company”) sending you future information, contacting you for telemarketing purposes using the information (including any phone numbers) you have or will provide us, and monitoring and recording these communications to assure the quality of service or for other reasons. This means the Company may contact you via residential number, mobile number and/or text messaging (including use of automated dialing equipment and pre-recorded calls). You are not required to give your consent as a condition of making a purchase with the Company. Additional information can be found in our Privacy Policy.